MARTEN DE ROON became Middlesbrough's third signing of the summer last night after signing a four-year deal at the Riverside Stadium.

De Roon was on Teesside to finalise a move believed to be worth around £11.75m from Italian club Atalanta and it was concluded on the first day of pre-season training for the Boro squad.

The 25-year-old Dutchman - one of the club's most expensive buys behind the £12.7m paid for Afonso Alves in 2008 - will train with his new team-mates today and will battle with Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton for a place at the heart of the midfield.

Fellow new recruit Bernardo Espinosa was also at Rockliffe Park, although he is still recovering from a knee injury so couldn't take part in training.

It will not all be about new signings this summer, though, and clubs are queuing up to land winger Adam Reach.

Aitor Karanka will not rush into offloading the 23-year-old and appreciates what he can offer, but Boro have fielded numerous calls asking about his availability.

Reach had a successful loan with Preston last season and Simon Grayson, the Deepdale club’s manager, is keen to have him back.

Karanka sanctioned his last move because he felt the player’s development would have been hindered by a lack of first-team football at the Riverside, even though he had been a key player in the previous season.

Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves are among the clubs to have expressed an interest, along with Preston.

There are a few clubs trying to persuade Boro to part with midfielder Adam Forshaw following promotion to the Premier League too.

Forshaw, who has performed well when he has had the chance, has been unfortunate to have his appearances limited because of the form of Leadbitter and Clayton in the middle of midfield; de Roon's arrival could put him further down the pecking order

Karanka is keen to have everyone involved in the early stages of pre-season training ahead of Saturday’s first friendly of the summer at York City.

By that time the head coach hopes de Roon will be available. His move was completed after he arrived yesterday to agree the finer details of the deal and to pass a medical. Atalanta have made a sizeable profit on a player they signed for just £1m last year.

Danish winger Viktor Fischer, a £3.8m arrival from Ajax, may not be at Bootham Crescent because he was given extra time for his international appearances last month. Fischer’s fitness will be assessed later in the week when he arrives to join up with the squad for the first time.

Espinosa has revealed his delight after signing, he said: “It’s great to start work here and it’s a step forward in my career. I wanted to be able to enjoy the Premier League, it has always been one of my dreams and I am very grateful to Middlesbrough for giving me this opportunity.”

Boro expect to be able to confirm de Roon’s arrival in the next 24 hours, while teenage defender Jordan McGhee will join on a season-long loan after outlining to Hearts that he wanted to move to Teesside.

McGhee, 19, almost signed in the winter transfer window and Hearts boss Robbie Neilson said: "Jordan was really keen to go, so we have given him that opportunity. We didn't feel it was right to keep a player here who didn't want to be here.

"He has been desperate to go down to England for the last couple of years. Middlesbrough came in for him in January and the deal fell through, so he has had his heart set on it for the last little period.”